Mark Sanford sworn into Congress

South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford began his second political life Tuesday, as he took the oath of office following his dramatic special election victory last week.

In a heartfelt, three-minute speech before a packed House of Representatives chamber, Sanford alluded to the extramarital affair that derailed his political career four years ago and thanked a “God of second opportunities.”

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“Each one of our lives involves a different journey, and I think on that journey we can, in essence, be taken places where we develop levels of appreciation that we never had before. And, so, I come here before each one of you more appreciative than I ever could have been for the honor of working with each one of you in the United States Congress,” he said.

“I stand before you, I guess, with a whole new appreciation indeed, in a God of second opportunities and how in the midst of our lives — no matter how up or down they may be — every one of us can be the finest human beings we can be in that process.”

Sanford, who is filling the Charleston-area seat Republican Tim Scott vacated when he was appointed to the Senate, spent a little more than two years in political exile before his decisive win over Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

As he took his seat in the chamber, Sanford looked out on a sea of smiling Republican members — many of whom he served with during his first congressional tenure in the 1990s. Among the familiar faces was Speaker John Boehner, who posed with Sanford and his family during a mock swearing-in photo op in a room just off the House floor.

Photographers snapped pictures as Boehner shook hands with Sanford’s Argentine mistress and now fiancée, Maria Belen Chapur, and crouched down to greet Sanford’s nephews. Also in attendance were Sanford’s mother and sister and his sons, Marshall and Landon.

Earlier, Sanford held a welcome lunch in the Cannon House Office Building and posed for a staff photo on the House steps.

The day wasn’t without a few awkward moments. As he stood on the House floor waiting for the proceedings to begin, the former governor was greeted by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.). A few weeks before Election Day, as news circulated that Sanford was being sued by his ex-wife for allegedly trespassing at her home, Walden’s committee announced it was cutting Sanford off financially. The two congressmen spoke for about 30 seconds.

And as Sanford addressed the chamber, standing with him was the South Carolina Republican delegation — including two members, Reps. Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney who endorsed one of Sanford’s primary opponents.

But Sanford’s reception was mostly warm. Scott offered his congratulations and a host of Republican members shook his hand. Sanford also spent a few minutes chatting with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).